1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a housing for a mobile electronic device that houses both the mobile electronic device and a connected payment accessory. One application of the present disclosure relates to the use of a mobile electronic device in an electronic payment transaction setting.
2. Background of the Invention
Mobile electronic devices that include communications capabilities—such as smartphones and devices running the iOS, Android, or Blackberry operating systems—have become increasingly capable for use in payment management systems. Often, these devices can be enhanced with third-party hardware and software. Banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions can easily provide add-ons to these mobile electronic devices to increase the mobile electronic device's functionality in the context of electronic payments.
In one conventional arrangement, a mobile electronic device may be loaded with software that allows the user to access an online payment processing system from the mobile electronic device. In another conventional arrangement, a product that allows for credit card processing via mobile electronic devices through an accessory attachable to the mobile electronic device is used. In addition, the rise of near field communication technology has allowed for payment transactions to be carried out through the use of devices equipped with this capability.
The end result is that inexpensive smartphones and other mobile electronic devices, if equipped with the right hardware and/or software, can have all the functionality of expensive traditional point-of-sale systems, such as credit card readers issued by a traditional payment processing service. Moreover, systems that utilize consumer electronics may be attractive to merchants because there are often fewer startup costs associated with these systems than there are with traditional point-of-sale systems, and there are also often lower fees for payment transactions. Thus, there are many reasons a merchant, retailer, or anyone else who accepts electronic payments would want to use a payment management system based on a mobile electronic device rather than a traditional point-of-sale system.